Transit app, new bus garages funded
MP Mary am Mon se fan noun ced $5.4 million in federal funding for city transit projects on Friday, money that will help pay for new accessible buses, a new HandiVan and upgrades to several bus stops.
Mon se fm ade the announcement in the municipal bus garage at the public works yard on Townsend St. Friday morning.
Monsef said she was“very proud” to announce the funding.
She said she knows firsthand the importance of public transit; she relied on the bus to get to Trent University when she was a student.
The feds are giving Ontario more than $1.4 billion under the Canada-Ontario Public transit Infrastructure Fund agreement.
The idea is to repair and upgrade transit in the province.
At the announcement, M PP Jeff Le al said he was especially pleased to see the city’s buses will soon all be accessible, thanks to this money.
That means all the city’s buses will be low-floor, and will “kneel,” or lower, for easier boarding.
“I know in the 1980s, the city of Peter borough was at the fore front of developing transit systems for special-needs people,” Leal said.
The money will help fund eight transit projects in Peterborough:
New Accessible Buses - $2,650,000: Funding will help cover the replacement of nine conventional buses with new accessible ones( which will make the city’s fleet of buses 100 per cent accessible).
New Bus Maintenance Garage - $1,000,000: Funding will go toward construction of a bus maintenance garage at the new public works yard on Webber Ave. (the yard is expected to move there from Townsend St., this year).
Upgrades for Bus Stops With Shelters - $813,893: Funding will go toward upgrading somewhere between 100 and 120 bus stops that currently have shelters. The upgrades could be to the shelters, or to the other aspects of the bus stop (ie:new,no-slip concrete pads to make it easier to board or disembark the bus ).
Study – Bus Barn Relocation - $450,000: Funding will go toward a study to determine a site where the city could relocate the storage garage. That’s where buses are parked when not in service – right now the bus barn is at the public works yard on Townsend St., but the yard is moving to a property on Web ber Ave. The new location isn’ t big enough for a bus barn.
Replacement Handi-Vans (and one New Handi-Van) - $337,500: Funding will go toward replacing five Hand i-Vans, as well as the purchase of one new Hand i-Van.
Transit App for Smartphones -$100,000: Funding will go toward a new project to launch a smartphone app that will tell riders, in real time, when their bus is coming.
Upgrades for Bus Stops Without Shelters - $50,000: Funding will go toward upgrading about a dozen bus stops that don’t have she lt ers (ie: adding the a forementioned no-slip concrete pads, or putting a connection between the bus stop and the sidewalk).
The city plans to search for a firm to install the transit app this spring.
Don Vassiliadis, the city’s transportation chairman, said he can’t wait to offer riders the chance to check their smartphones to see when the bus is coming.
“That, to me, is a real big deal when you’re riding transit.”